Chapter 161: Lizards are Cold
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 161: Lizards are Cold
The guardian of the volcano was on the mountainside, not the summit.
That in itself wasn't too strange.
It would also explain why the Magnosaurus came down.
It must have come down because of that Fire Rat.
Then what was that roaring sound coming from the peak?
“Kakakak!”
The Fire Rat stared at me.
I didn't know the details, but I knew I had to take it down.
For some reason, I felt like it would use abilities like hypnosis or brainwashing if I left it alone.
Shwaak!
I immediately brought the elixir I had hidden in my tail to my mouth.
Gulp.
[You have temporarily acquired a strong resistance to fire energy.]
With this, I should be able to offset its flame attacks to some extent.
My plan had changed slightly, but my objective remained the same.
“Gekgegek!”
“Kakakak!”
It looked exactly like a rat.
But the qi I felt from it was anything but ordinary.
Fwoosh!
Given the distance, it got the first strike.
For a mere rat, it spewed flames from its mouth.
Its firepower was incomparable to the Magnosaurus's.
With my resistance, I could probably take a harassing blow, but dodging was still the best option.
Pababat!
Using the principles of the Little Dragon's Sky-Ascending Steps, I kicked off the ground and shot forward.
“Kakakat!”
As if it had expected this, it stomped its foot hard on the ground.
Fwoooosh!
Powerful flames erupted from the cracks in the earth.
Chwarak!
I twisted my body, barely dodging its attack.
Swaaaaaak!
The Fire Rat attacked relentlessly, as if determined not to give me a turn.
A rain of fire poured down from the sky.
It was the secret technique of the volcano, Sky-Filling Flower Rain.
[Using 「Reverse Scale LV5」.]
Fight Sky-Filling Flower Rain with Sky-Filling Flower Rain.
[You have temporarily acquired 「Sky-Filling Flower Rain」.]
The Sky-Filling Flower Rain I used was a crude imitation of the Dilophosaurus's technique.
It was just me haphazardly throwing whatever I could use, not proper hidden weapons.
Even when I fought the Magnosaurus, its Sky-Filling Flower Rain had far superior firepower to mine, so the Fire Rat's would be on another level.
But things are different now.
Because I came prepared.
What I was throwing were countless hidden weapons imbued with poison and cold energy.
The fur of the wolf pack.
Chwaaaaaak!
Booooom!
Fire energy burns away poison.
But to burn the poison, the fire energy must inevitably diminish.
What would happen if, in that state, it clashed with hidden weapons steeped in Baek Rang's cold energy?
Jjeojeojeok!
It meant my side would devour its.
“Kaaat!”
I finally closed the distance enough for close-quarters combat.
I immediately swung my Dragon's Claws.
Kwaaaang!
As if to prove it wasn't called a guardian for nothing, the Fire Rat dodged my attack with fluid movements.
It was certainly strong.
We had only exchanged a few blows, but I could tell its senses were exceptional.
It was larger than my current self, yet its flexibility wasn't lacking in the slightest. On top of that, it had attacks using fire energy, making it a naturally powerful opponent.
“Kakakak!”
The moment it dodged my attack, it struck at a weak point with its sharp claws.
Swiiik!
I hastily pulled my head back, evading its attack.
The moment I was about to counterattack.
Fwoooosh!
Flames erupted along the trajectory of its claw swipe.
“Kakakakak!
You could say that flames followed its every attack.
If I hadn't eaten the Ice Crystal, I would have been slowly cooked just by continuing the fight.
Swiiiik!
Its claws flew at me once more.
I swung my left and right hands simultaneously, parrying its attack.
Kagak!
Kaaang!
The seamless offense and defense, infused with the principles of the Eagle-Snake Life-Death Struggle, was enough to block the Fire Rat's flaming claws.
“Kikikit!”
However, this technique had been exposed once before.
I had used it when fighting the Magnosaurus, so other creatures on the volcano must have seen it.
There was a high chance they had passed that information to the Fire Rat, the guardian of this place.
Seeing as it wasn't surprised when I blocked its Sky-Filling Flower Rain, it was reasonable to assume it knew about me.
Fwoooosh!
Its fire energy grew even more intense.
As its fire energy intensified, so did its speed.
Since it had seen the Eagle-Snake Life-Death Struggle before, it must have thought of a way to counter it.
Swiiiiiiik!
Kakak!
Our exchange was evenly matched.
The Fire Rat's speed was continuously increasing, so if this kept up, I would be pushed back.
But I wasn't one to just stand by and watch that happen.
Because I had a mighty weapon that it didn't.
Swiiiiiiik!
I swung my tail, covered in Dragon Scales.
This tail made up most of my body length.
When swung like a whip, its destructive power surpassed that of my Dragon's Claws at full strength.
Kwaaang!
“Kieek!”
A solid hit.
It struck the creature squarely in its side.
Walkak.
Bright red blood poured from the Fire Rat's mouth.
A few of its ribs must have been broken.
Sustaining such an injury in an even match meant the tide of battle had turned.
Kagak!
Kaaaaang!
After parrying all of its attacks with the Eagle-Snake Life-Death Struggle, I swung my Dragon's Claws, aiming for its head.
Booooooom!
A sudden, massive explosion.
I abandoned my attack and quickly threw myself backward.
Kwaaaaaaaaaang!
A tremendous shockwave erupted, powerful enough to change the surrounding terrain.
“Kakak, kagagagak!”
Fwoooooooosh!
Its body grew even larger, and the blazing flames intensified.
No, it was more than that.
Hot lava began to flow from all over its body.
It's common sense that magma is on a completely different level than fire.
This must be its true power.
“Kaaaaaaak!”
The Fire Rat shrieked and charged at me.
Even for me, engaging it in close combat in that state was out of the question.
If we traded blows, I would take more damage.
It was bigger than me now, and its firepower was stronger.
Right.
That Fire Rat is bigger than my current self.
And my current self was smaller than my usual self.
The reason I'd been hanging out with the wolf pack was to prepare to catch this thing.
Gathering fur and imbuing it with cold energy.
Hunting and gathering ingredients for elixirs.
And.
[「Status: Miniaturization」 has been deactivated.]
I had been using Miniaturization to move around at about 80% of my size.
Udeudeudeuk.
[Due to the effect of 「Miniaturization LV5」, 「Status: Gigantification」 is now applied.]
“Krrrrrr….”
Now, I could finally look down on it.
I had planned to save this for later, but if I didn't use Gigantification now, I felt I would take significant damage. I had no choice.
Kwaaaang!
I slammed my shoulder into it.
“Kaaaaaaak!”
It flailed its paws, trying to stab me somehow.
But I wasn't about to fall for that.
Kwadeuk!
I sank my teeth deep into its shoulder.
“Kiaaaaak!”
Ggulleong.
Ggulleong.
I didn't think this alone would be enough to win.
But now that it was poisoned, it would act more rashly.
Fwoooooosh!
The Fire Rat conjured flames again to get me off.
My objective was complete, so I pulled back without hesitation.
Tadat!
“Kaak! Kieeeet!”
The Fire Rat clutched its shoulder.
Right. It must be panicking now that poison was in its system.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
...It blew up its own shoulder.
“Kiaaaaak!”
Tougher than it looks.
The flowing lava gathered on its burst shoulder.
No, it would be more accurate to say its entire arm had turned into lava itself.
“Kakakakak!”
The Fire Rat glared at me.
Even with my resistance to fire energy, that looked a bit dangerous.
Paat!
The Fire Rat's form vanished in an instant.
Chwaaaaaak!
Immediately, the Fire Rat charged in from another angle.
The flames and lava grew more intense, and it was spinning its body at high speed.
Should I call it a car made of flames?
Its body itself had become a weapon.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
Physical force.
Fwoooosh!
And flames.
The moment its attack pierced my scales, my insides would start to sizzle.
Gwaaaaaaang!
Tssssssss....
I swung my Dragon's Claws at its approaching head, but the intense heat prevented me from dealing any real damage.
On the other hand, it could inflict fatal damage just by ramming its body into me.
Tssssssssss!
Lizards are animals that cannot regulate their own body temperature.
Even with resistance to fire energy, it's difficult to stop my internal temperature from rising.
“Kakakak!”
“Grrrr….”
In other words, its attacks weren't just burning my exterior, but also heating up my insides.
Paak!
Using my size advantage, I pushed it back once more.
Kwaaang!
“Geureuk.... Gwek....”
As my temperature rose, my mind grew dizzy.
“Kakakak!”
However, it seemed to have overexerted itself as well, as it didn't look to be in good shape.
Fwoooooosh!
Despite that, the Fire Rat set its body ablaze once more.
It had now become fire itself.
I, too, prepared to counter its attack.
Wooooong.
I focused my internal energy at my fingertips.
A faint blue aura bloomed.
It was Sword Aura.
Before it could react, I swung my foreleg.
Kwaaaaaaang!
The target wasn't the creature, but my own body.
To be precise, the scales on my chest.
My Dragon Scales were tough, but when I used Sword Aura to harm myself, I could pierce them easily.
“Kaat?”
The Fire Rat seemed momentarily baffled by my sudden, bizarre action.
It probably couldn't understand what I was doing.
To go through the trouble of using Sword Aura, only to use it for self-harm.
Blood flowed freely from my chest.
It was a situation that could be considered a fatal wound.
But it wasn't a big problem.
[A powerful cold energy now imbues your blood.]
Jjeojeojeok!
The cold energy subdued the fire energy that had invaded my body, and its properties manifested on my blood-soaked exterior as well.
Shaaaaa....
In essence, I had created a weapon that could not only cool my body but also inflict fatal damage on my enemy.
“Kieeeek!”
The Fire Rat, as if finally understanding the situation, rushed forward.
Spirit beasts that wield fire usually share its properties.
They are ferocious enough to burn everything, but they act recklessly.
Once a fire starts, it's not easily extinguished.
This creature was the same.
When I revealed my hidden card, it chose to confront me rather than be wary.
[Using 「Reverse Scale LV5」.]
Thankfully.
[You have temporarily acquired 「Uprooting Heavens and Overpowering the World」.]
Guguguguk!
A profound internal energy pressed down on its body.
For a spirit beast of that level, it would only amount to simple pressure, but that was enough.
Kwaaaang!
I kicked off the ground and charged at it.
“Kaaaaaaak!”
The Fire Rat spat out a giant fireball.
To attack it, I had to take that head-on.
I can withstand it.
The cold energy enveloped my body, and with my strong resistance to fire energy, taking that hit wouldn't kill me instantly.
Instead of changing direction, I increased my speed.
“Awoooooo!”
As the wolf's howl echoed, a giant wolf form made of ice confronted the fireball.
...There's no way Baek Rang could have come all the way here, so she must have put something like this in the Ice Crystal.
Set to manifest automatically when I was in danger.
When I get back, I'll have to give her a belly raspberry.
Chwaaaaaak!
As I broke through the steam and reached it, a blazing red claw flew at me as if it had been waiting.
This must be its final blow.
“Kieeeeeek!”
Blue Sword Aura gathered in my hand once more.
Swaaaaaak!
One of its forelegs, made of lava, was sliced clean off.
“Kaaaaaaak!”
The Fire Rat struggled desperately, its body ablaze.
This is the end.
Kwadeudeuk!
I bit down on its neck.
[Using 「Reverse Scale LV5」.]
[You have temporarily acquired 「Gaegaek Death Beam LV5」.]
Ssssuuuuup.
Jjeooooooooong!
The Gaegaek's beam, mixed with the cold energy of the Ice Crystal, pierced straight through its neck.
“Kiik... Kieek....”
Jjeojeojeok.
The terrain had changed.
The Fire Rat of the volcano had become an ice sculpture with a hole in its neck, and the lava reservoir had turned into solid rock.
Which meant.
[Level Up.]
[Level Up.]
[Level Up.]
“Gekgegek!”
It meant I had defeated the guardian.
[A spiritual energy envelops your body.]
And it meant I could finally evolve.
“Gekgegegegek!”
I let out a series of valiant roars.
I can finally evolve.
How long I've waited for this.
....
......
But why do I feel so strange?
“...Gekgegek.”
It felt like my Crisis Detection and Killing Intent Detection were speaking to me.
I definitely defeated the Fire Rat, so why is this happening?
Wait.
Come to think of it, the roaring from the summit stopped at some point.
...Something was wrong.
It was the same feeling I had when I first met the Snake Queen.
The feeling of waking up to find a giant basilisk staring me down.
This might be even worse than that.
Someone is definitely watching me.